Tuesday, January 6, 2015

house of charm and distinction: small update

I just want to share this wonderful photo that was sent to me (thank you, Karen!) of the staff of the House of Charm and Distinction in the 1940s. I posted about this Grand Rapids dress company last August, after we acquired some World War II era sales/marketing pieces from the company.

The woman who kindly sent me this photo said her mother worked here in the 1940s. I assume that some (if not all) of these women are wearing C&D designs. If you look closely, you can see that three women are wearing the same fantastic plaid set, and two are wearing dresses with large dots on the bodice.

I love this photo for the all the ladies in their great dresses, but also for the beautiful signage on the building.

I still know very little about this company, and can't recall our ever finding a dress with a House of Charm and Distinction or C&D Company label. However, there is currently a beauty of a dress on Etsy from the company!

This dress is from FireflyVintage on Etsy, and according to the listing, the label reads "The C And D Company, Paris, New York, Grand Rapids."

When and if I find out more about the House of Charm and Distinction, I'll be certain to post here about it.

2 comments:

I love that photo of the women and their C & D dresses. What a great follow-up to your original post. Do you have any idea where the company was located? I can't help but wonder if the building is still there.

I don't know the location, Lizzie. I admit, I haven't done the local research I've been meaning to do to find out more about them. But just looking at the building, I almost feel like I can picture its location!